1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for determining a user input pattern in a portable terminal, and in particular, to an apparatus and method for determining a user input pattern, which fluidly changes the position of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) based on the touch input pattern of the user in a portable terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an effort to attract more customers, service providers and portable terminal manufacturers are competitively developing the portable terminals that provide more convenient functions. For example, it is common for a portable terminal to provide functions such as a phone book, a game, a scheduler, a short message service, a multimedia message service, a broadcasting message service, an Internet service, e-mail, a wake-up call function, an MP3 function, a digital camera, etc.
Additionally, portable terminals using touch screen type have been developed, which input data using a user hand or a stylus pen, thereby enabling a user to enter commands, write text, and draw a line in a portable terminal.
More specifically, a touch screen portable terminal senses pressure applied by a user and determines a touch input corresponding to a position of the sensed pressure. However, this type of method merely replaces a conventional button input and cannot sense, for example, a rotation of a finger after touching the screen.
Additionally, in portable terminals, a plurality of Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) are arranged in a display unit and perform a function corresponding to a user selection. Because the positions of the GUIs are statically arranged, it is difficult for a user to select a corresponding GUI with the same hand that is holding the portable terminal. That is, it is often difficult for a user to select all the GUIs with the thumb of their hand that is holding the portable terminal.
Also, when a user selects a GUI, the user must cover a display region being selected by a finger, thereby blocking an area of the display. Therefore, it is inconvenient for the user of the portable terminal to detect a GUI in the blocked area. For example, an icon on a screen may be covered by a user's finger performing an input, and consequently, the user should inconveniently take the finger off the screen, and determine and select the covered icon for selecting it.